1) Introduction - why Stavanger?
Stavanger (SVG) is one of the 3 places that BA flies to in Norway, the other two locations being Bergen and Oslo. It has often been noticed that there are frequently low cost fares offered from Norway, particularly to USA, South Asia and Australia, as a result of competition from other airlines. Now many FTers have successfully used Oslo as their starting point, but almost always the same fare is available from Stavanger. Stavanger, like Bergen is far more straightforward than Oslo, and is the ideal place to try out a back to back routing - therefore returning on the same aircraft as you start. So a good place for a beginner.

The core reason is that the design of Stavanger is to share incoming arriving passengers with departing passengers in the same hall area. If you go back to back it is, as far as I can tell, foolproof - there is no passport check, no security check, an incredibly short distance to the departure gate (35 metres). SVG is also a relatively small and efficient airport. Even in very bad weather they can get the service to run out on time - the de-icing team sits en route between the gate and the runway, barely adds a few minutes to the process and with so few flights there is most unlikely to be a long queue for de-icing. So: if you haven't do a back to back before, SVG is a lot easier than Oslo, or indeed places like Dublin.

For Bergen as an alternative to Stavanger, you may want to look at this guide from NWIFlyer:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...ergen-bgo.html

If you have a kid in tow and want an interesting day out, this will also fit the bill quite nicely.

2) How to book
First find a good priced ticket from SVG to whereever you want to go to. Various tools for doing this. Flyertalk threads available via the Dashboard (which has the latest version if you come across this thread long after its creation):
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...er-thread.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...deals-j-f.html

In these threads where someone identifies Oslo as a starting point, you can normally smile to yourself and try SVG instead.

ITA Matrix and Google Flights will also help. In my opinion, even if Oslo or Dublin are a bit cheaper, it is definitely worth paying a little extra to fly into SVG to reduce the hassle factor. This also applies to BGO and some other airports mentioned at the end of this article.

3) Getting your connecting ticket to/from SVG
You then need a second ticket, to get you to Stavanger and back home again at the end of your trip. This needs to be the same aircraft as the linked flight, and with typically 2 flights a day, morning and afternoon, it's not difficult to work out which flight you need. Don't be worried about the fact that your scheduled turnaround time is only 35 minutes, even if it was 35 seconds you would still make it! Another good point about SVG is that the revenue fares can be cheap. It's a good POUG availability route too (�100 or so) - POUGs are cheaper for tickets bought in Norway (�65 or so), so you will have to do some maths as to whether it is worth buying singles, conscious that POUGs are not guaranteed.

At the time of writing, the cheapest return flight is �92.51 (HBO ET fare).
The cheapest single is �81.81 for LHR-SVG. From SVG to London NOK 399 = �32 single.

4) Reward Flight Savers
Another reason for using SVG is excellent RFS availability. Off peak it is 8,000 Avios for ET, 15,500 for CE return. The cash component is �35 in ET return, �50 in CE return. However you really should buy 2 sets of single tickets since this reduces the cost, particularly in Club. So it then becomes �26 in ET or �33 in CE approx return. Same number of Avios, however. Note that OSL is in a higher Avios band to SVG, 13,000 Avios in ET return; BGO is in the same banding as SVG.

5) Hand Baggage Only
For the LHR-SVG-LHR sectors back to back you can only really do this Hand Baggage Only (HBO), so you need to work around this. If you can't/won't do that, then think about staying the night. SVG is simpler to do than Oslo, and it may be cheaper too, but it loses its USP at this stage. There is a Scandic hotel linked to the airport building. Stavanger, a city of 120,000 souls, is a 25 minute bus ride away, up to 5 services an hour if you include the local bus service.

6) On the day
These two photos explain - more than words can - how easy it is at SVG. In the first photo you see the BA aircraft on the left. On the right you see the boarding gate. Across the photo is the airbridge, in front is the lounge. This is it! There's nothing else to it, no passports, no security. You get off the aircraft, walk 35 metres to a seat, wait until the flight is called at the gate shown, then reboard the aircraft.





As you can see the lounge furniture is particularly impressive. The next photo shows gate 8 used by BA's services.



7) Facilities at SVG
The one thing there isn't (now) is a caf� or other place you can spend money. The facilities available are toilets, water machine, Euro power sockets along the window side, and Wifi, and that's pretty much it. Everything else is the other side of passport control. No lounge either.







Wall mounted power sockets:


This shows the end of the non Schengen area and the passport control. You shouldn't need to go through this, but there is probably time to do so if you want to buy something.



8) Mobility issues
The distance between the aircraft and the departure hall is very short, 35 metres. It is all flat, there are no full steps at all, maybe 2 or 3 cm raised flooring in the different sections of the airbridge - but there is a bit of a slope, see photo below. It is rarely if ever, a bus gate operation. There are disabled toilets very close to the gate, behind the seating.


9) What could possibly go wrong?
The main one is not being able to get both boarding passes before departing. This is more likely if your SVG-longhaul flight is issued by someone other than BA or involves codeshares or other complexities. Obviously several days before travel ensure all bookings are ticketed, and this is visible in the BA App. If you don't normally use the App, now is the time to start. You should still try to print boarding passes on paper if you can, but the App is very useful as a backup. If you can check in online but for some reason can't extract a printed boarding pass, this is no big deal at all - if the staff in LHR can't print it, and the lounge printers don't work, then the staff at the gate in SVG can easily do it. The bigger problem is if for some reason you can't check in at all for the SVG-longhaul. This has never happened to me but anecdotally it can happen if API data is missing or a follow-on flight has be cancelled or some such.

Because you can check in 24 hours before departure you effectively get some notice if things aren't looking good, so if your tickets have been properly issued, you probably best get to LHR as soon as you can, and try and get the staff to see if they can assist. If all else fails, you can ask the LHR staff, or even the cabin crew, to contact SVG to check you in, and have your boarding pass available at the gate - there are reports of this being possible (the advantage of being a small airport I guess).

10) Back at LHR - preparing to transfer.
You will normally land into T5A, occasionally B. You then need KARFA's guide in the Dashboard to help you for the Flight Connection. If you find yourself in T5A and are e-gate eligible, you should use them and exit via the UK Border rather than using Flight Connections - so long as you have more than 45 minutes for your connection. Bear in mind that if your longhaul is to somewhere exotic you may need to pass the landside Visa desk for a quick check - though SVG should really do this if you ask them - so allow some time for this too. If you land into T5B and your departure flight is from there or C, then use Flight Connections in those satellite buildings.

11) Other locations to consider
Have a look at these guides:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...tinations.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...ing-guide.html

But the other foolproof locations include BGO (similar pricing to SVG and OSL), GOT, CPH, AMS, JER, OLB, SOF, BRU, DUS, PMI, KEF, GVA. Note that in the case of BGO there is a major construction process under way and we are not totally sure of the impact, either during building or afterwards. We think easy back to backs will be retained but we can't be certain yet.

12) Catering to SVG
Morning service: CE it is typically hot breakfast on the morning LHR-SVG, "brunch" SVG-LHR return.



Afternoon service: Typically "afternoon tea" LHR-SVG, including scones and sandwiches. Return is something like the cold shrimp or chicken salad SVG-LHR.

 

Thanks c-w-s for yet another definitive resource thread to go along with your ORK/SNN/NOC one earlier. Please keep them coming they are excellent and your work is much appreciated.^

 

Very good guide cws. It really does not get any simpler than BGO and SVG!

Btw, have you done this today/Are you around T5, I am in GF finishing a burger right now :-)

 

My apologies NN77, today is my day off! The photos were from last week.

 

I'd forgotten how small SVG was...used to go there on the 80's when my mother lived in Stavanger.
You can sometimes enjoy quite 'sporty' landings there as well !

 

Super effort as always, c-w-s. I for one very much appreciate these guides.

Nitpicking I know but should this read "less expensive"?

 

yet another C-W-S gem many thanks.
John

 

Great guide, and indeed very much like BGO. One note under section 2, I think you meant less expensive rather than more expensive.

 

These guides are very well put together.

Informative and noise free.

 

Great job again c-w-s and great to see a wee bit about the 'worst case scenario' that I love thinking about obsessively. The second time I did this I had a panic as we weren't attached to a jetway, but of course we just shuffled along the tarmac and up the stairs into the departure lounge.

I would also say that the toilets are very nice too.

 

Great guide thanks c-w-s having found OSLO quite stressful back 2 back (and not having researched enough!) this is certainly the best option by the looks of it. Also less Avios which is also handy. Cheers!

 

Many thanks to Crampedin13A, nufnuf77, missdimeaner; Zzzap, thejohn, dylanks, HIDDY, crazy8534 and mikeyfly for your kind words and comments.

Ah yes, thanks, duly corrected.

 

very useful timing given my LHR SVG LHR (and then SYD) flights in February - thanks for putting together! ^

 

Excellent guide, thanks very much c-w-s... I've got my first ex-SVG in a couple of months, never been to the airport before so this is really helpful ^

 

Great guide and another enhancement to the forum. Tempted to use this myself some day.